NASCAR champ Truex pulls for Eagles in drive at Super Bowl

February 4, 2018

FILE - In this Oct. 20, 2017 file photo, Martin Truex Jr. smiles at the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kan. Truex, a Mayetta, N.J. native, is rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles in their drive toward a Super Bowl victory. He grew up an Eagles fan and is naming Randall Cunningham as his favorite player. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga, File)

Truex, who is from Mayetta, New Jersey, grew up an Eagles fan, pulling for future Hall of Famers Reggie White and Brian Dawkins. He said four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Randall Cunningham was his favorite player. Truex planned to attend Sunday’s Super Bowl even before it was determined the Eagles would play the New England Patriots.

Having the chance to watch the Eagles was an added bonus.

“It’s kind of crazy that the first Super Bowl I’m going to my team ends up going,” Truex said. “It worked out about as good as you could have planned.”

Truex gave a shoutout to the Eagles — “The Eagles are my team, man; 8-1 by the way” — the night he won the 2017 NASCAR Cup championship at Homestead. But even his confidence was briefly shaken when Carson Wentz suffered a torn ACL and LCL in Week 14.

“I was nervous when they lost him, for sure,” Truex said Sunday from Minnesota. “I think every Eagles fan was nervous about it. (Nick) Foles has done a really good job. I feel pretty good job about it. They’re solid.”

Truex had a career year in 2017, winning eight races and his first career Cup championship. He gets set to try to defend his championship when NASCAR opens its season Feb. 18 at the Daytona 500.

He’d like to add one more championship celebration before he gets to Florida.

“If the Eagles can hold them to 12 points or less, they’ll have a pretty chance to win,” Truex said.